Excessive drinking is responsible for more than 4,300 deaths among underage youth each year, and cost the U.S. $24 billion in economic costs in 2010.2,3Although drinking by persons under the age of 21 is illegal, people aged 12 to 20 years drink 11% of all alcohol consumed in the United States.4 More than 90% of this alcohol is consumed in the form of binge drinks.4On average, underage drinkers consume more drinks per drinking occasion than adult drinkers.5In 2013, there were approximately 119,000 emergency rooms visits by persons aged 12 to 21 for injuries and other conditions linked to alcohol.

Seems like alcohol is much more dangerous but I still think we all have the right to buy alcohol. I also believe marijuana should be legalized.

Sin is everywhere and many will make bad choices but that should not make us punish the ones who make good choices.

"The US state of Colorado decriminalised cannabis in 2012.Since then, evidence shows that children are being expelled from school at higher rates, there have been more road deaths, and homelessness has grown at one of the highest rates in the country."

No, it sure doesn't, Quiet Christian. I haven't really kept on top of some things, but I think I heard today that Canada is legalizing MJ for recreational use, country-wide, as in, from border to border. Hard to believe this mind altering drug has been given the green light outside of medical use, and I'm assuming it's for no other reason than the state and federal revenue it's all gonna be bringing in. These very same, foolish, foolish local politicians and lawmakers, are at the same time, freaking out about kids vaping and are trying to get a handle on that, while at the same time, have enacted, or are proposing the legalization of recreational pot use. Sure makes a lot of sense...

Doesn't bode well for Canada's upcoming experiment in legalization. The article is from the UK. The author pointed to the failed legalization in Colorado as evidence of what any government can expect.

I was looking for how the 15,000 teenagers fit into the statistics. At best, with approx 25,000 hospital admissions per year, between 4 and 5 thousand were teenagers if that number is cumulative for the four year span. That's between 1/4 & 1/3 of admissions were teenagers.